Scratch

for viola, cello, double bass

Program note

Repetition and stasis are not mannerisms but ways to provide a static background where the gestures can move and be perceived clearly in the same way that a motion of a moving object becomes sensible only in relation to another object with steady speed. The main subject of the piece is the formation of gestures in the musical space that is defined mostly by the scratching of the bow on the strings. Traditional right hand bow “effects” become the main sound material of the piece while left hand movements provide a slower moving sound layer.